Meanwhile, Chavista forces in Lara are rallying once again behind former Governor (and close associate of the comandante presidente) Luis Reyes Reyes. He served in the presidential cabinet and was elected National Assembly deputy in 2010.

The only female candidate of the MUD is running in Monagas. Soraya Hernandez won the 12-F primary, but her standing as opposition candidate was damaged by Briceño’s break-up from Chavismo and his popularity.

Negotiations between both went nowhere, and she insists that she’s the only candidate with the people’s support.

She has some knowledge of the State thanks to her previous job as head of the PSUV for the entire region. Her chances depend of the voting split between her rivals Briceño and Hernandez.

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That’s it for the “16-D Races to Watch” series. I don’t have a prediction in most cases – I am not trying to be Nate Silver or even his drunken counterpart. The level of abstention could in the end decide some of the races. And the oncological realities on the ground throw a wrench into the entire proceedings.

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